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Abu Dhabi Airports resumes limited flight operations at Zayed International Airport

Abu Dhabi resumes limited flights after disruption while 7,000 passengers get support

Last updated: March 05, 2026 | 16:14

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

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Limited Flights restart at Abu Dhabi airport while thousands of stranded passengers receive support.

Zayed International Airport

Dubai: Limited flight operations have resumed at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport following recent disruptions, with authorities coordinating a wide support network for thousands of affected passengers across the emirate.

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Airport authorities confirmed that operations restarted in close coordination with the Emergencies, Crises and Disasters Management Center in Abu Dhabi, following several days of intensive coordination across government agencies, airlines and the hospitality sector.

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The phased return of flights marks an important step in restoring connectivity at one of the region’s busiest travel hubs while ensuring passenger safety and wellbeing remain the top priority.

Thousands of passengers supported during disruption

Authorities said significant efforts were carried out over the past few days to support travellers whose journeys were affected by scheduling changes and operational disruptions.

More than 4,300 complimentary hotel rooms were arranged across 74 hotels throughout Abu Dhabi to accommodate approximately 7,000 passengers while flight schedules were being adjusted.

Hospitality providers across the emirate worked alongside airport authorities to ensure travellers had access to comfortable accommodation and essential services during the disruption.

The coordinated response aimed to provide stability for passengers while airlines and airport operators worked to restore services gradually.

Support network across the emirate

Support for travellers extended beyond accommodation, with multiple government entities and private sector partners collaborating to assist passengers during the transition period.

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Authorities arranged shuttle services to transport passengers between hotels and the airport, while refreshments, hospitality services and retail vouchers were provided to help travellers manage extended waiting periods.

Medical support services were also made available to ensure passengers received care if required during the disruption.

These measures were implemented through joint efforts with several authorities across Abu Dhabi, creating a coordinated response network designed to assist travellers while operations stabilised.

Focus on passenger wellbeing

Airport authorities said the priority throughout the disruption and recovery phase has remained the wellbeing of passengers and staff.

Abu Dhabi Airports said the coordinated response reflected strong collaboration across the emirate’s travel and hospitality sectors during a period of operational pressure.

Authorities continue to advise passengers to check directly with their airlines for the latest information before travelling to the airport.

Passengers holding confirmed tickets have been asked to contact their airlines to receive updated flight schedules and departure instructions.

Travellers are also urged to travel to Zayed International Airport only after receiving confirmation from their airline on the appropriate arrival time for departure.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.